Monday, November 28, 2011

I'm starting to hear a few complaints from the winter-lovers, especially the people who are anxious to start wearing their heavier clothes and who think it's impossible to talk about Christmas when it's 70 degrees out there.

I'd be happy to have 80 degrees on Christmas, but I realize my opinion is in the minority.

So where is the chilly weather?

First, it's not unusual to have 70-degree-plus conditions in late November. The same thing happened last year, and we had a string of near-80-degree days a few years ago around the beginning of December.

Last year, the warm weather ended abruptly with a cold front that arrived late Dec. 1. From Dec. 2 until Valentine's Day, with a few exceptions, conditions in the Charlotte region were quite cold.

Almost like clockwork, much cooler air is on the way. It will arrive early Tuesday, and our high temperatures for a few days will only be in the 50s. It won't be quite as brutal a change as last year, when daytime highs were held to the upper 30s and 40s for a couple weeks. But it is a change worth noting.

Yet I don't see a complete change to below-average temperatures, through the middle of December. The Climate Prediction Center, computer models, and private meteorological services seem to indicate that, on average, temperatures will be about average. A few cold snaps, lasting two or three days, are likely.

But an abrupt change to mid-winter conditions does not appear in the offing for a while.

1 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I miss living up north myself. I *love* winter, always have as a kid. The entire family lives in Vermont. I miss white Christmases, I miss snow, I miss the COLD. I honestly loathe the heat and how hot it gets in my area year after year. It's to the point that my garden now dies once summer is in full swing. It never used to do that when I first moved here 10 years ago. 10 years ago, my plants used to get frosted in October. Then eventually November. We're three days shy of entering December and my plants are still thriving out there. This is not normal. I miss the cold and am absolutely miserable with the air conditioning running because it's too warm and humid outside. Anyhow, I'm sure this is more than you wanted to hear from someone who doesn't live in your area. ;)

About this blog

Steve Lyttle says growing up in northeastern Ohio, with its foot-deep snows and summertime severe thunderstorms, fueled his interest in meteorology. He has written about weather for 10 years at The Observer. Join the discussion about weather trends and weird weather events -- whether local or around the world.